League

FCD midfielder Brek Shea will be on hand to meet fans, answer questions and sign autographs Friday evening at the Dick's Sporting Goods in Frisco from 6-7 pm.

His appearance is part of the MLSSoccer.com First Kick Road Show. Nick Firchau and Temryss Lane will host the event, beginning with a sit-down interview with Shea at 6:05 p.m., followed by a live Q&A with fans inside the store at 6:15 p.m.

The hosts will hand out door prizes by random drawing at 6:30 p.m., with Shea signing autographs for fans at 6:40 p.m.

MLSSoccer.com rolled out its second Power Rankings of 2012 - this batch after preseason and ahead of First Kick. FC Dallas remained steady at No. 11 according to the nameless people(s) who do this:

Dallas are still undergoing a transformation, and there are still a ton of questions to be answered. Who's going to play right midfield? Will David Ferreira be fit and healthy enough to make an impact right away? How many miles are left on Daniel Hernandez's legs? At least, with George John's return, the defense is back and deeper than last season.

NBC Sports Group announced on Monday that Kyle Martino will join play-by-play voice Arlo White as the lead analyst for the network’s coverage of Major League Soccer.

White and Martino will make their debut on Sunday, March 11, at 2 p.m. CT on the NBC Sports Network when FC Dallas hosts the New York Red Bulls at FC Dallas Stadium. The network will broadcast 41 games during the 2012 season, including three on NBC, followed by five MLS Playoff matches.

“I am very excited to be joining a company with such a rich sports history,” Martino said in a statement. “To be a part of that tradition by covering Major League Soccer is a tremendous honor. I look forward to being a part of the NBC Sports Group team.”

Martino will not call the game in a conventional sense. Instead, he will occupy a role “Between the Benches” during matches with White remaining in the broadcast booth. From this vantage point, Martino is expected to provide unique field level insight in addition to game analysis. NBC currently employs a similar technique during their hockey coverage, using an “Inside the Glass” analyst.

We're two and a half weeks away from First Kick at FC Dallas Stadium between FCD and New York Red Bulls. It's, of course, the first game on NBCSN as part of the new TV contract MLS signed with the network. This commercial started airing this week in anticipation of the new season. Look for FCD's Brek Shea in the spot: